First Day Back and Anxiety Free

Today was the first day of school, and last night was the first time I ever slept soundly the night before the first day of school. I can't believe how little anxiety I have about this school year. I'm still shocked by the amount of work that is to be done, but I feel completely capable of handling it. And it only took three years!!

Of course, I might have been able to sleep so well because Alan and I didn't get back from a little trip to the Poconos until after midnight last night. I think I need to get out into nature a bit more often. It was fantastic to spend some time around tons of trees and the lake and just be lazy. We spent our travel time discussing the questions from The Book of Questions and sharing music from our iPods (which made me feel a bit like I was in high school, but in a good way.)

Now it's back to the real world though. It's 11:30 and I need to be at work in seven hours, so blogging is probably not the thing I should be doing at this very moment. Until next time...

Vacation Time

Last summer I was extremely proud of having mastered the art of summer vacation. This time around, I am not doing nearly as well. First off, I worked the crazy job for most of the summer. Afterward, I had a fantastic visit home, followed by a visit here from my close friend Lisa. Now with just two days left of vacation time, I'm feeling sluggish and strangely ready to just get back to work.

I'm trying to pep talk myself into making the most of these remaining free hours. My roommate and I are going to go eat lunch then throw a frisbee around in the park (something I've been asking him to do almost weekly since we moved in,) but really all I want to do is crawl into bed and sleep sleep sleep. It seems like such a waste though...

Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow fully prepared for my final vacation day experience. We'll see how it goes.

Vacation Addiction

After a mere three days of vacation time in the Poconos with the boyfriend, I am finding that I have quickly figured out what to do when you're done with the grad school and not sure what to do with your extra time. I am addicted to vacation. And after such a short one, (and a little bit of research)I find I'm focusing more on the root word: vacate. As in, leave the U.S. and start working in France or Italy or one of these other countries where law requires much more vacation time.

Now I know what you're thinking: I'm a teacher. I already get a ton of vacation time. And you're right, but I signed on for another job this summer. And while I'm still excited about everything I will learn and be able to teach during those seven weeks, I'm also thinking about moving to Brazil, where I could sell back some of those days to my employer and have 30 consecutive (!!) days of vacation.

Besides, even with my great vacation time, my friends and family don't have those benefits. I do enjoy taking trips on my own, but it's also great to have some company. I think it's time the U.S. caught up a little bit. And since we Americans love to brag about how great we are, I think we should one-up everyone. Send a request to your local representatives: Forty-five consecutive days of vacation for everyone!